George - Calvados Barrel Aged | Mikkeller ApS

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This one is oily and greasy as the day is long. The regular beer George! is named after George Foreman and is a black fat punch in your face. This version has been aged in old Calvados barrels which has given the complex beer an extra level of complexity!! That is a lot of depth dude!

This is what's up. Poured motor oil black with thick lacing and no apparent head, even with a heavy pour. Aroma - big hit of booze then rolls into some chocolate and roasted malts. Taste/mouthfeel first notice that thick silky mouthfeel. It's very well balance you get the chocolate up front with some oakiness from the barrel with vanilla and molasses. Still a bit boozy but not as much as the nose leads you to believe.

Big thanks to Phyl21ca for the bottle! It is a beautiful pour, inky dark with a long-lasting mocha head leaving some nice lacing. The nose and taste are deep, rich and complex with loads of dark roasted malt, dark chocolate, cocoa nibs and barrel character. The barral really helped pull all the pieces together and tamed the aggressive grain bill and tame some of the dark char notes. Really Nice.

8oz bottle I picked up a year or so ago. Poured into a mikkeller teku and drank along side the bourbon and cognac versions. The brew is black with no light penetration along the edges. A dark mocha brown head retains well with a finger of suds effortlessly revived with a swirl. Some spotty lace clings to the glass.

The nose is rich with dark roastiness like tobacco, chocolate and molasses. A neutral woodiness and solvent alcohol note tingle the nose with a hint of fruitiness but unlike other calvados barrel aged beers, you wouldnt know that is what this was aged in without reading the label (which is kind of a let down.)

The taste is aggressive with espresso-like roast, tobacco, earth and charred bitterness. Some fruity alcohol hangs in the wake. I appreciate the taste of this slightly more than its cognac counterpart because it lacks the solvent feel.

This is a fuller bodied brew with a moderate amount of carbonation. The barrel aging does not really pop in this but it plays a subtle role balancing the aggressive char and roast elements of this fine ale. I might have done this beer a disservice by drinking it along side the other versions. However, I wanted to do the comparison to note the subtle differences the barrel introduced. On its on, its a great beer...even better than cognac but pales in comparison to the bourbon. If I was gonna shell out the crazy money these bottles demand, id throw it all at the 2011 bourbon version. Its in a class of its own compared to the cognac and calvados.

A dark right out of the bottle with a short lived dark foam, no retention or lace but some legs and color left behind on the glass

S char and chocolate syrup, coffee, licorice, the barrel plays a big part, not sue I'd guess cavados but its working well, some booze and prune, smells sexy

T lots of dark roast, charred barrel, more booze and lots of brandy, tasty stuff but the nose has a slight edge

M thick and enough bubbles to cream it up, silky with some heat but its manageable, a little sticky on the lips, lots of barrel on the finish

O maybe a 4.4 for taste so a bump here, bad ass stuff with a great barrel choice, could use some age but drinking well for over 12%, solid stuff

If I had a second I'd give it a year or two to mellow out, its not harsh in anyway today but could be something amazing with a little cellar time. Great beer and I only wish I could get my dirty hand on other George variants, sexy stuff

The beer pours a deep, jet black color, thick and oily from the bottle, a thick, slim head, half a finger at best rises and rests nicely with great retention that yields little lace but great legs. The aroma is big on the Calvados, sweet, boozy, oaky, chocolatey with nice fruit esters. The flavors mirror well, lots of rich grain, bittersweet chocolate, apple brandy is really nice, sweet, oaky, apple laden, fruity with a touch of vanilla. The mouthfeel is amazing, rich, thick, smooth, soft, coats perfectly without being too big, viscous for sure, but rolls over the tongue so easily and finishes with the softest warming touch.

Verdict: A very, very nice imperial stout from Mikkeller. The depth and complexity is wonderful and the Calvados barrel is very well integrated leading to a really nice balance of flavors and the body is perfection. The price of admission is high for this one, but it rewards very well. I perfect treat for sipping.

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a dark brown foamy head with great retention and some god lacing. Aroma of sweet black chocolate notes with some light roasted malt with light liquor notes is quiet sublime. Taste is also dominated by sweet black chocolate notes with quite a bit of residual sugars and some light vanilla notes. Calvados is noticeable but not overly so and really cuts through any rough edge form the base beer. I found that the finish was slightly spicy. Body is full with motor oil like consistency and no apparent alcohol. I think I preferred the Cognac and Bourbon version but still an extremely good beer.

Pours black, with a very small mocha head immediately to a thin lace.
Dark chocolate in the smell, roasted malts, some coffee bean, saltiness, faint dried fig, some oak, a bit of the brandy alcohol too.
Starts acidic and warm, some nice cherries, some grapes, fig, fresh red apple mash with a cidery note attached to it. Nice brandy note from the start, just a bit pinching at first, but a bit boozy later on. Fruitiness is covered by some mild dark chocolate and a bit of coffee, but mostly some deep roasted malts, getting more and more ashy towards the finish. Some oaky barrel notes go well with it, finishing with charcoal, some bitter hops and a roastiness that puts a lid on the alcohol, at least for a while.
Not too heavy bodied, tho a bit oily, with a low carbonation that helps the palate-numbing prickle. Aftertaste of brandy, ash, a bit of apple sweetness. Reminds a lot of apple schnapps.
It's a nice battle between the Calvados and the roast, switching places in the taste, with every new sip. Really good on both ends, nice one to sip and enjoy for a longer time than usual.

Extremely dark brew. Pours like motor oil and also feels very thick in your mouth. Aroma and taste are on the roasted side with the Calvados barrels adding some complexity. Very nice but I liked the cognac version better.

Bottle (250 ml) from La Cave A Bulles in Paris. Pours pitch black and inky with no head whatsoever. Aroma of roast, toffee, caramel, chocolate, brandy, sweet, vanilla, some light anise. Flavor is roast, bitter, light chocolate, anise, long brandy and vanilla finish. A bit of the sweet side. Rich body with low carbonation, some dry oakiness. Maybe my least favorite of the trio behind Cognac and Bourbon, but still a nice after dinner drink to relax with. Probably couldn't do much more than a 250 ml.